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The following news article was written by José Fernández Colón (AP) and published in the local Puerto Rico newspaper EL NUEVO DIA – published on June 13, 2007

Loosely translated it reads that PR will import 3million pounds of semi-roasted coffee beans from the Dominican Republic at price of $3,837,000.00

Jose Ruiz Hernandez, Director of the Administration of Agro Services and Development (ASDA) a subdivision of the Department of Agriculture of Puerto Rico revealed today that the Baninejas Company of the Dominican Republic was awarded the contract for the purchase of 3 million pounds of coffee.  He explained that the coffee will be shipped to Puerto Rico semi-roasted at a cost of $1.279 per pound.  This coffee is necessary to add to the local production to have enough for the annual consumption.

Note from CAFEdePR.com:  it should be noted that the two biggest roasters which control more than 75% of the local production are Café Yaucono and Rico (same ownership) and Café Crema; which will be the biggest beneficiaries from the purchase of this cheap coffee which is then sold in the local market at about $4.60 per pound; the irony being that they will sell this Dominican coffee and label it as Puerto Rico Coffee.  Be aware that coffee sold as Yaucono, Yauco Selecto, Rico, Crema and other supermarket brands might not necessarily be coffee cultivated in Puerto Rico yet the bags read Puerto Rico Coffee.

Here is the article:
El Nuevo Dia Junio 13, 2007
Se comprará café a República Dominicana
Por José Fernández Colón (AP)
(01:35 p.m.) Importarán unos 30,000 quintales para completar la demanda anual de 300,000.
PONCE - El director de la Administración de Servicios y Desarrollo Agropecuario (ASDA), José Ruiz Hernández, reveló hoy que la empresa Baninejas de la República Dominicana ganó la subasta de $3.8 millones para la importación de 30,000 quintales de café.
Ruiz Hernández, precisó que por este café, que vendrá semitostado por razones fitosanitarias, ASDA pagará $3,837,000 millones, a razón de $127.90 por quintal.
“Se adjudicó la subasta luego de que el comité técnico fue a Dominicana y sometió su informe sobre las cataciones, cantidad y calidad del café”, sostuvo.
El director de ASDA, brazo operacional del Departamento de Agricultura, le dijo a Prensa Asociada que el primer embarque del grano desde la República Dominicana llegaría en agosto para parear la producción local de manera que se pueda cubrir la totalidad de la demanda del consumo local.
“La otra empresa que sometió propuesta fue Agroindustrias Unidas de México S.A., quienes sometieron una oferta de $135.60 por quintal para un total de $4,068,000 por lo que se le adjudicó la subasta al menor postor que cumplió con todos los requisitos”, dijo el funcionario.
El titular de ASDA dijo que el café llegará en 10 contenedores con capacidad de 462 quintales cada uno, durante diez semanas a partir de agosto por barco desde Dominicana.
Ruiz especificó que el pasado año también se importaron 30,000 quintales desde República Dominicana, mientras que en el 2005 la importación llegó desde México.
Según Ruiz, la pasada cosecha produjo unos 195,000 quintales, aunque la cifra no es final porque hasta el viernes se estará comprando café producido localmente.
El consumo local es de 300,000 quintales anuales que se cubre con el café producido localmente, con la importación y el llamado café soluble.

Puerto Rico Coffee Wholesale prices to Jump 30% in 2006

Bayonne New Jersey, June 15, 2006

Coffee distributor CAFEdePR.com will absorb the recent 30% price increase levied by the Government of Puerto Rico over the export of premium select coffee beans sold worldwide. The coffee growers in Puerto Rico have had to pass along the increase to cover their costs of production. The price controls in Puerto Rico protect the farmer, the picker, the laborer and ultimately the consumers. As it has been for the past 10 years Puerto Rico's population of 3.9 million consumes most of the coffee produced locally and the government has had to import some from other countries so that the big roasters like Cafe Yaucono, Cafe Rico, Cafe Crema and others can have sufficient supplies for their production.

It is estimated that Puerto Rico will bring in from the exterior about 10 million pounds of coffee in 2006 after rains destroyed much of the island's key crop in 2005 to add to the 18.5 million pounds that the island produces. The coffee crop in 2004 was about 22.5 million pounds.

This latest sharp price hike for Puerto Rican coffee has forced an increase of the price consumers will be paying for coffee that's labeled as Puerto Rico coffee, although, the consumer is not guaranteed that the coffee they are getting in the bag is actually grown in Puerto Rico.  It is important for the consumer to understand that about 10 million pounds of coffee from other countries is being used to augment the local supply.  The consumer is being forced to make sure the coffee they are buying is truly 100%PURE Puerto Rico grown coffee if they want to enjoy this most delicious treat.

The price controls in Puerto Rico dictate the cost of a bushel of coffee beans that the farmer must pay the picker and this translates to a fix profit for the farmer and the laborers.  Because of many factors that can affect the annual yield Puerto Rico exports a relatively small amount of its coffee which makes the coveted Puerto Rican beans a rare treat.

This all results in a more expensive coffee for consumers in the rest of the world yet consumers are eager to pay to get this Puerto Rican grown coffee which has been classified as full bodied, roundly sweet, with low but vibrant acidity.

Some coffee labels like Puerto Rican Yauco Selecto, Alto Grande and Café Tres Picachos blends previously selling for between $20 and $25 per pound are now being offered at $35 per pound by most coffee retailers.

CAFEdePR.com is holding the price of  Café Real de Puerto Rico® to their current level.  This price could go much higher in the near future.  In the meantime the consumer can order this Guaranteed 100%PURE Puerto Rico coffee grown and completely elaborated by the farmer that cultivates it at this low price which can be considered a bargain compared to the prices of the blends listed above.

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Coffee is not usually thought of as health food, but a number of recent studies suggest that it can be a highly beneficial drink.

Researchers have found strong evidence that coffee reduces the risk of several serious ailments, including diabetes, heart disease and cirrhosis of the liver.

Among them is a systematic review of studies published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, which concluded that habitual coffee consumption was consistently associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Exactly why is not known, but the authors offered several explanations.

Coffee contains antioxidants that help control the cell damage that can contribute to the development of the disease. It is also a source of chlorogenic acid, which has been shown in animal experiments to reduce glucose concentrations.

Caffeine, perhaps coffee's most famous component, seems to have little to do with it; studies that looked at decaffeinated coffee alone found the same degree of risk reduction.

Larger quantities of coffee seem to be especially helpful in diabetes prevention. In a report that combined statistical data from many studies, researchers found that people who drank four to six cups of coffee a day had a 28-percent reduced risk compared with people who drank two or fewer. Those who drank more than six had a 35-percent risk reduction.

Some studies show that cardiovascular risk also decreases with coffee consumption. Using data on more than 27,000 women ages 55 to 69 in the Iowa Women's Health Study who were followed for 15 years, Norwegian researchers found that women who drank one to three cups a day reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 24 percent, compared with those drinking no coffee at all.

But as the quantity increased, the benefit decreased. At more than six cups a day, the risk was not significantly reduced. Still, after controlling for age, smoking and alcohol consumption, women who drank one to five cups a day, caffeinated or decaffeinated, reduced their risk of death from all causes during the study by 15 to 19 percent compared with those who drank none.

The findings, which appeared in May in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that antioxidants in coffee may dampen inflammation, reducing the risk of disorders related to it, like cardiovascular disease. Several compounds in coffee may contribute to its antioxidant capacity, including phenols, volatile aroma compounds and oxazoles that are efficiently absorbed.

In another analysis, published in the same journal, researchers found that a typical serving of coffee contains more antioxidants than typical servings of grape juice, blueberries, raspberries and oranges.

"We were surprised to learn that coffee quantitatively is the major contributor of antioxidants in the diet both in Norway and in the U.S.A.," said Rune Blomhoff, the senior author of both studies and a professor of nutrition at the University of Oslo.

These same anti-inflammatory properties may explain why coffee appears to decrease the risk of alcohol-related cirrhosis and liver cancer. This effect was first observed in 1992. Recent studies, published in June in The Archives of Internal Medicine, confirmed the finding.

Still, some experts believe that coffee drinking, and particularly caffeine consumption, can have negative health consequences. A study published in January in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, for example, suggests that the amount of caffeine in two cups of coffee significantly decreases blood flow to the heart, particularly during exercise at high altitude.

Rob van Dam, a Harvard scientist and the lead author of The Journal of the American Medical Association review, acknowledged that caffeine could increase blood pressure and slightly increase levels of the amino acid homocysteine, possibly raising the risk for heart disease.

Source: International Herald Tribune.

Whole Grains: The Inside Story
Whole grains have been shown to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and constipation.

Coffee gives drinkers more than a quick pick-me-up -- it may also help protect them against heart disease.

The findings come from a study carried out by the University of Minnesota and suggest that drinking one to three cups a day may be good for you.

Scientist Dr. David Jacobs said, "The findings tend to suggest that there may be some benefit to drinking modest amounts of coffee."

But he cautioned against reaching too often for the percolator.